COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - JUNE 12: Blackened and charred homes are seen along Herring Road in the Black Forest area northeast of Colorado Springs, CO on June 12, 2013. Temperatures are expected to be in the nineties again today. Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Firefighters gather at the Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District headquarters station Wednesday. District officials held a press conference there to discuss the findings of a special investigator's report into performance issues related to the Black Forest fire, which killed two people.

BLACK FOREST — An internal probe of the Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District and its chief exonerates the department of accusations of mishandling last summer’s devastating fire, investigators said Wednesday.

The full report, which has been submitted to the El Paso County District Attorney’s office for review, was not released to the public, but the investigation into Harvey and the department was summarized during a news conference at the Black Forest Fire Station.

The probe was conducted after El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa publicly stated the Black Forest fire department mishandled the operation in its initial stages and that Harvey was unaware of the size and destructive power of the blaze. Those mistakes, Maketa said, allowed the fire to grow, ultimately killing two residents and destroying 509 homes.

Retired Greenwood Village Police Cmdr. Dave Fisher directed the inquiry. After interviewing fire experts and other authorities, Fisher concluded,”nothing could have been done to stop this fire.”

Fisher hinted his full report may also show the origin and cause of the blaze, but he would not elaborate. The summary merely said the fire was a “perfect storm.”

Fisher said he did not know how much the investigation cost.

The fire board blasted Maketa for his comments, and the media for reporting them, in what the board called a “misadventure.”

The board’s statement complained about “agencies or elected officials trying to impose their own will” and called for a new culture of working together.

In a statement released Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office said the protection district’s probe was vague and lacked facts to reinforce its findings.

“It is unfortunate that this report contains many opinions and general information not based on facts that can be substantiated by actual evidence such as radio transmissions and recorded phone calls,” according to the statement.

The sheriff’s office is conducting the official investigation into the cause and origin of the Black Forest fire. According to the statement, that report will be made public once “all scientific analysis of items of evidence is complete.”

Maketa did not attend the news conference.

Harvey said the public spat between the heads of the two agencies would not interfere with how crews did their jobs when they worked together in the future.

“Operationally, I think we have a great relationship,” Harvey said.

The report summary urged all agencies and personnel to maintain a professional relationship regardless of personal feelings.

Residents who attended the meeting said they were not impressed with the lack of information and specifics about what mistakes, if any, on the part of Harvey were revealed in the probe.

“This was a whitewash to save (Harvey’s) job,” said Black Forest resident Kevin Clark. “They’re not going to answer our questions, he wants to save his job.”

Area homeowner Lisa Brant said authorities were just as frustrated as residents with the mishandling of the fire.

“Firemen and police officers were the ones who first started complaining,” said Brant said.

Both Clark and Brant said hoped the sheriff’s final report on the fire will provide the information residents sought.

Ryan Parker was a reporter for The Denver Post from 2011 until May 2014. A Colorado native, Parker started his career at smaller weeklies and worked for YourHub before becoming a breaking news reporter for The Post.